Written By: Aaron Bala

Modern Family is the hottest new comedy that’s come out this season. But what makes it so great? Its secret is that it has wisely thrown together some of the best parts and characters of other sitcoms from the last two decades allowing them to make a comedy that feels new and fresh, while still being familiar and welcoming. What exactly have they been inspired by? Take a look below:

The Mockumentary Style: A mockumentary is a genre of film that has scripted scenes and dialogue but is shot in a documentary style. The mockumentary isn’t a new convention, people often think fondly of This is Spinal Tap, but there has been a large resurgence of this style of film and TV making. Some of the most notable mockumentaries to have come out in the recent past include Borat and Bruno on the big screen, and The Office and Parks and Recreation on the small screen. Modern Family has taken this style and adapted it to the family sitcom previously unmined territory save for the mockumentary touches on Arrested Development.

The Incompetent Dad – Phil: The incompetent dad is a relatively new archetype that started to hit its zenith in the 90s. His attempts to do well always result in hilarity though not usually for those close to him. He often is incapable of doing the most menial of tasks, but always has one redeeming trait that he excels at (usually tied to his job). Phil is a wiz at selling houses, but not much else. He is out of touch with anything cool, and often is slow to pick up on subtext but he does try his hardest. Other notable incompetent dads: Ray Barone, and Homer Simpson (with an honorary mention to Michael Scott who is not a father).

The Mom With A Quirk – Claire: Often the eye of the storm that is her family, the mom with a quirk is always calm, cool and collected - until you find her weakness. There is usually something dorky or silly about her that is just buried beneath the surface. Claire is the housewife holding her family together, just avert your eyes when she starts dancing or tries to use a remote. Famous moms with a quirk include Peggy Bundy from Married... With Children and Lois from Family Guy.

The Popular Child – Haley: As seen in every show about high school, there is always a popular girl. Lives in a world above everyone else in the school. Always dates the coolest guy. They always look like they have it all together, but in reality they rarely ever do. Haley is quite popular at school, is dating one of the popular guys, and though she’s shown some traits of manipulation, she’s still a little empty in the noggin. Other popular children: Hilary from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Kelly Bundy from Married… With Children.

The Brainy Child – Alex: Smart and self-conscious, what the brainy child lacks in looks they often make up for in smarts. They are always the smartest person in the room, and feel like no one is on their level or understands them. They often lack self-esteem until the right person comes along to point out the cute boy/girl who likes them. Alex feels ignored by her family so she lashes out, often by using her intelligence and foresight to get her siblings in trouble. Famous brainy children include T.J. from Smart Guy, Malcolm from Malcolm in the Middle.

The Dumb Child – Luke: They’re not stupid, they’re just a little slow. The dumb child is often lost in their own world, frustrating their family due to their lack of any life skills. But they’re always loved by their parents no matter what despite being dependent on them to survive. Luke has been shown to often forget his sweaters at school, and tends to talk before he thinks, even though it probably wouldn’t make a difference. Other dumb children include Ralph Wiggum from The Simpsons, and Jake from Two and a Half Men.

The Wizened Old Dad – Jay: The wizened old dad has been around the block. He knows how the game is played and is always quick to offer a word of advice to anyone who needs it. Whether this advice is right however, may not always be true, and when they’re wrong, the consequences are always a doozy. Jay’s using his time as a second chance to be a better father to Manny than he was to his own kids, but still tends to slip back into some of his old habits. Don’t try to sneak out of the house though, as he showed Haley, it won’t happen on his watch. Famous wizened dads – Marty from Frasier, Dr. Cox from Scrubs (though he is mainly fathering the interns)

The Weird Child – Manny: Misunderstood by most of their peers, the weird child marches to the beat of their own drum. Deep down inside though they have a heart of gold and can help others out with their problems, even if what they say doesn’t always make sense at the time. Manny enjoys fencing and tango, two hobbies the average child his age doesn’t have, as a result he often feels far more comfortable with adults instead, like working Claire through her problems. Other notables: Steve Urkel from Family Matters, Mark from Home Improvement.

The Workaholic – Mitch: Often putting the needs of their job over their family and friends, the workaholic is always torn between two worlds. The pressures of both sometimes lead the workaholic to quit their job. They always find a new job afterwards that gives them a better work-family life, and their workaholism is never mentioned again. The Workaholic is a new character in TV today, and Modern Family may have one of the earliest uses of them in a sitcom. Mitch’s workaholism caused him to miss important moments in his daughter’s life, but realized the rift forming and chose to quit his job; he still has yet to find a new one. Other Workaholics: Gus from Psych, Fran from The Nanny

The Enabler – Cam and Gloria: With the enabler on your team you will feel like there’s nothing you can’t do. They always have your back, they are always rooting for you, and you feel like a million bucks - just don’t cross them. If you take away the joy in their life they will make sure you never feel any ever again. A two for one special but if you think about it you’ll see that Cam and Gloria are quite similar characters (with vastly different back stories making them unique). Without their influence, Mitch and Jay wouldn’t be the men they are and would have missed out on opportunities. Some enablers from other shows include George from Seinfeld and Vivian Banks from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

Written by :

Arban

 

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